(written by Islander)
On September 26th the Swedish melodic death metal band After Earth will release their second album, Dark Night of the Soul. It builds upon the foundations of their debut full-length, 2023’s The Rarity of Reason, but represents a more ambitious and multi-faceted undertaking, and the work of a revised lineup.
Those heightened ambitions are reflected in the nearly 52-minute length of the new album, as compared to the 35-minute runtime of the first one. More importantly, it’s reflected in the range of the music, one example of which is provided in the song “Throe” that we’re premiering today along with a video of the band performing the song at SufferCity festival in Lidköping, Sweden earlier this year.
In a nutshell, “Throe” is high-octane mosh fuel, red meat for ravening pit-wolves. A hammering percussive gallop propels the song, and it’s fronted by furious lyrics expelled through scorching howls. The riffing is a heavy, crashing charge, grim and mean, but with a surging pulse you can feel in your own veins.
The bass gives the song a brutally rumbling undercurrent, and the band also inject swift jolts, electrifying drum-fills, start-stop tempo bursts, hornet-swarm fretwork frenzies, and a screaming “What the fuck?!?” at the very end.
To repeat, this particular example of what After Earth get up to on their new album is grim and mean, but it’s a very heavy-grooved and muscle-moving piece of feral ferocity.
After Earth recorded Dark Night of the Soul at Obsidian Recording Studios, again teaming up with producer Robert Marcko, who also handled mastering of the album this time.
Below we’ve included links for more info about the album, as well as the very well-made video for the new record’s title song, which reveals other dimensions of After Earth‘s new music.
Launched by a foreboding symphonic and choral overture, the song creates a sinister and savage experience, again packed with thrusting grooves and vicious vocal tirades.
The choral voices reappear, and the band also bring in eerily swirling melodic accents, feverishly darting fretwork, and a glorious (but still sinister) guitar solo.
AFTER EARTH:
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/afterearthswe
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfterEarthSWE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afterearth_swe/
One Response to “AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: AFTER EARTH — “THROE””
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Awesome stuff!